Carotid artery atherosclerotic profile as a predictor of the aorta atherosclerotic profile in patients with cerebrovascular events

Background: It is well known that the presence of atheroma of the thoracic aorta is a risk factor for cerebrovascular events. We sought to evaluate whether the presence and the morphology of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery detected by duplex ultrasonography is associated with disease in the proximal aorta visualized by transesophageal echocardiogram in patients with a cerebrovascular event. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional prospective study including 147 consecutive patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Neurological evaluations were performed by an expert neurologist using clinical and tomographic diagnostic criteria including the definition of etiology and whether the patient suffered from stroke or TIA. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms and carotid artery duplex ultrasonography were performed by the same examiner. Patients with and without plaque in the carotid artery were compared using Student's t test or the χ2 test. Regression analysis was used to determine whether the presence of plaque in the carotid artery was predictive of the presence of plaque in the proximal aorta and to analyze the relationship between the echogenicity of carotid and aortic plaques. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: All 147 patients (95 men) were included in the analysis. Patients' ages ranged from 23 to 85 years (65 ± 12.4 years). Most of the patients (58.5%) were Caucasian, while 41.5% were African-Brazilian. Arterial hypertension, diabetes and tobacco use were more frequent among patients with atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta. A normal carotid intima-media thickness halved the risk of atherosclerotic plaque in the aorta [odds ratio (OR) 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-0.91; p = 0.026]. The presence of carotid plaque increased the risk of aortic plaque by 70-fold (OR 73.2, 95% CI 25.6-2,018.6; p < 0.001) in univariate analysis. The absence of atherosclerotic plaque in the carotid artery reduced the risk of plaque in the aorta to almost 0 (OR 0.014, 95% CI 0.004-0.041; p < 0.001). Considering the 86 patients with both aortic and carotid plaques, the presence of hypoechoic plaque in the carotid artery was a predictor of hypoechoic plaque in the aorta (OR 10.1, 95% CI 3.3-31.2; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The carotid artery atherosclerotic profile defined by ultrasonography is a strong predictor of the atherosclerotic profile of the proximal aorta. This should be taken into consideration before referring patients with acute cerebrovascular events for transesophageal echocardiogram. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Effect of physical training on metabolic and bone profile in weaning rats

Introduction: The practice of moderate-intensity exercise can reduce the risk of infections and improve metabolic aspects of the person. Objective: To investigate the effects of aerobic physical training on endocrine and metabolic aspects, bone and immune systems. Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were divided in two groups: sedentary (SG) and trained group (TG). Training program consisted in swimming, 6 weeks, supporting a workload corresponding to 5% of body weight. At the end of the experiment, were performed counting total and differential leukocyte count and hematocrit. After training period, were analyzed glucose, total protein, triglycerides, cholesterol, liver and muscle samples for the determination of the levels of glycogen, and determination of the tibia length and bone area. All dependent variables were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a significance level of P < 0.05 was used for all comparisons. Results: Hematocrit (%) analyzed showed a significant difference, with higher values ffor TG (54.63 ± 1.41) than for the SG (49.5 ± 1.65). The total leukocyte count was not significantly different, as there was no difference in the differential count. Total cholesterol showed significant decrease in TG (TG = 68.27 ± 13.71 mg/dL; SG = 94.44 ± 28.09), the total protein levels also showed significant reduction (TG = 7.3 ± 0.40 g/dL; SG = 7.74 ± 0.36 g/dL) glucose levels and triglyceride showed no significant differences. The bone length showed significant difference (TG = 40±0.14 mm; SG = 42.10 ± 0.12mm). Tibial area showed a lower value for TG (1.53 ± 0.12cm2) than for SG (1.67 ± 0.18cm2); however, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: It can be concluded that aerobic exercise training is able to produce some unique physiological changes in young rats. There is also the need to prescribe exercises that meet the particular maturational stage of development.

Nutrients balances and milk fatty acid profile of mid lactation dairy cows supplemented with unsaturated fatty acid

The objective was to evaluate the effect of unsaturated fatty acid sources supplementation on nutrients balances and milk fatty acid profile of mid lactation dairy cows. Twelve Brazilian Holstein cows in the mid lactation (mean of 128 days) and (580 ± 20kg of weight; mean ± SD) with milk yield of 25kg/d were assigned randomly into three 4 × 4 Latin square, fed the following diets: control (C); refined soybean oil; (SO); whole soybean raw (WS) and; calcium salts of unsaturated fatty acids (CSFA). Milk yield was 26.6; 26.4; 24.1 and 25.7 to the diets CO, SO, WS and CSFA respectively. Cows fed the WS treatment produced less milk (1.95kg/d of milk), fat and lactose than did cows fed the SO and CSFA. Cows fed the CSFA treatment showed less blood, urine (g/d) concentrations of N more energetic efficiency and intake of energy than did cows fed the SO treatment. Cows fed the unsaturated fatty acids sources showed more C18:2 cis-9, trans-11 CLA and trans-C18:1 FA concentration in milk than did cows fed the CO treatment. Diets with whole soybeans and soybeans oil provide more efficient digestive processes, and increase milk composition of unsaturated fatty acids.

Susceptibility profile of a Brazilian yeast stock collection of Candida species isolated from subjects with Candida-associated denture stomatitis with or without diabetes

Objective: This study investigated the susceptibility of 198 clinical isolates of Candida species against caspofungin, amphotericin B, itraconazole, and fluconazole. Study Design: Suspensions of the microorganisms were spread on Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) agar plates. Etest strips were placed on the plates, and the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was read after incubation (48 h at 37°C). Data were analyzed by a factorial analysis of variance and a 2 × 2 post hoc test (α = .05). Results: C glabrata showed the highest MIC values (P < .001) against caspofungin, itraconazole, and fluconazole. For amphotericin B, the MIC values of C tropicalis and C glabrata (P = .0521) were higher than those of C albicans (P < .001). Itraconazole was the least effective antifungal; 93.3% of the C glabrata isolates, 3.3% of the C albicans, and 1.3% of the C tropicalis were resistant. All microorganisms were susceptible to caspofungin and amphotericin B. Conclusions: Caspofungin and amphotericin B should be recommended as an effective alternative for the management of oral Candida infections when treatment with topical or other systemic drugs has definitely failed. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fatty acids profile and alteration of lemon seeds extract (Citrus limon) added to soybean oil under thermoxidation

This paper aimed at evaluating fatty acids profile and the total alteration of lemon seeds extract added to soybean oil under thermoxidation, verifying the isolated and synergistic effect of these antioxidants. Therefore, Control treatments, LSE (2,400 mg/kg Lemon Seeds Extract), TBHQ (mg/kg), Mixture 1 (LSE + 50 mg/kg TBHQ) and Mixture 2 (LSE + 25 mg/kg TBHQ) were subjected to 180 C for 20 h. Samples were taken at 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 h intervals and analyzed as for fatty acid profile and total polar compounds. Results were subjected to variance analyses and Tukey tests at a 5% significance level. An increase in the percentage of saturated fatty acids and mono-unsaturated, and decrease in polyunsaturated fatty acids was observed, regardless of the treatments studied. For total polar compounds, it was verified that Mixtures 1 and 2 presented values lower than 25% with 20 h of heating, not surpassing the limits established in many countries for disposal of oils and fats under high temperatures, thus proving the synergistic effect of antioxidants. © 2011 Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India).

Biochemical Profile of Amniotic and Allantoic Fluid During Different Gestational Phases in Mares

Fetal fluids have different vital functions that sustain both pregnancy and normal parturition. The biochemical composition of amniotic fluid during gestation is not well established; thus the purpose of the present study was to determine the biochemical profile of both amniotic and allantoic fluids from mares during initial, mid, and latter third phases of pregnancy. Samples were collected after slaughter, using allantocentesis and amniocentesis. Sixty samples of fetal fluids were analyzed. Alkaline phosphatase (AP), glucose, total protein (TP), urea, creatinine, Ca, chloride (Cl), Na, and K concentrations were measured using commercially available kits. The AP concentration in amniotic fluid was higher than that in allantoic fluid during the three gestational phases (P < .05). There were no differences between glucose mean values of allantoic and those of amniotic fluids (P < .05). However, glucose values were higher in the allantoic fluid in the last trimester of pregnancy. TP was higher in the amniotic fluid than in allantoic fluid (P < .05). Urea values varied among the phases; however, there were no differences between the amniotic and allantoic fluid values (P > .05). Creatinine values were higher in allantoic fluid (P < .05). Na and Cl concentrations were higher in amniotic fluid (P < .05). However, Ca and K concentrations were higher in the allantoic fluid. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Texture profile and correlation between sensory and instrumental analyses on extruded snacks

Instrumental texture analysis on extruded snacks is widely applied, however there is no scientific consensus about the test and probe types that can be correlated with the sensory texture of snacks. Eleven commercial extruded snacks of different shapes were evaluated instrumentally using different probes and sensorially through descriptive analysis. The snack texture was described using the attributes of hardness, crispness, adhesiveness, fracturability and chewiness. Cylindrical snacks were described through crispness and fracturability, pelleted and shell-shaped snacks by chewiness and ring-shaped snacks by adhesiveness and hardness. Hardness and adhesiveness were correlated with a Warner-Bratzler test using a V shape probe (r = 0.718 and r = 0.763, respectively), while fracturability and chewiness were correlated with a Warner-Bratzler test using a guillotine (r = 0.776 and r = 0.662, respectively). The fairly strong good correlations enable application of these instrumental tests as an indication of the sensory texture of extruded snacks. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Avaliação da eficácia das instrumentações rotatórias (Sistema Quantec LX, Pow-R, Profile e Profile Série 29) em canais radiculares curvos simulados

Pós-graduação em Odontologia - FOAR

Association between phase angle, anthropometric measurements, and lipid profile in HCV-infected patients

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between phase angle, anthropometric measurements, and lipid profile in patients chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus. METHODS: A total of 160 consecutive patients chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus and who received treatment at the hepatitis C outpatient unit of our hospital from April 2010 to May 2011 were prospectively evaluated. Bioelectrical impedance analysis, anthropometric measurements, and serum lipid profile analysis were performed. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were excluded. A total of 135 patients with a mean age of 49.8±11.4 years were studied. Among these patients, 60% were male. The phase angle and BMI means were 6.5±0.8° and 26.5±4.8 kg/m2, respectively. Regarding anthropometric variables, mid-arm circumference, mid-arm muscle circumference, and arm muscle area had a positive correlation with phase angle. In contrast, when analyzing the lipid profile, only HDL was inversely correlated with phase angle. However, in multiple regression models adjusted for age and gender, only mid-arm circumference (p = 0.005), mid-arm muscle circumference (p = 0.003), and arm muscle circumference (p = 0.001) were associated with phase angle in hepatitis C virus-infected patients. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, phase angle is positively correlated with anthropometric measures in our study. However, there is no association between phase angle and lipid profile in these patients. Our results suggest that phase angle is related to lean body mass in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus.

Anatomical changes and audiological profile in branchio-oto-renal syndrome: a literature review

Introduction  Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome is an autosomal-dominant genetic condition with high penetrance and variable expressivity, with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 40,000. Approximately 40% of the patients with the syndrome have mutations in the gene EYA1, located at chromosomal region 8q13.3, and 5% have mutations in the gene SIX5 in chromosome region 19q13. The phenotype of this syndrome is characterized by preauricular fistulas; structural malformations of the external, middle, and inner ears; branchial fistulas; renal disorders; cleft palate; and variable type and degree of hearing loss. Aim  Hearing loss is part of BOR syndrome phenotype. The aim of this study was to present a literature review on the anatomical aspects and audiological profile of BOR syndrome. Data Synthesis  Thirty-four studies were selected for analysis. Some aspects when specifying the phenotype of BOR syndrome are controversial, especially those issues related to the audiological profile in which there was variability on auditory standard, hearing loss progression, and type and degree of the hearing loss. Mixed loss was the most common type of hearing loss among the studies; however, there was no consensus among studies regarding the degree of the hearing loss.

Quality of life profile and correlated factors in chronic leg ulcer patients in the mid-west of São Paulo State, Brazil

BACKGROUND: Chronic leg ulcer may have an impact on patients' quality of life.OBJECTIVES:This study aimed to identify the impact of leg ulcers on patient's quality of life using the Dermatology Life Quality Index and to define the main factors correlated with this perception.METHOD:Cross-sectional, non-probabilistic sampling study. We included patients with chronic leg ulcers being treated for at least 3 months. A sociodemographic and clinical survey was conducted to assess the profile of the ulcers. We administered a screening for depressive symptoms and the Dermatology Life Quality Index. We performed a descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney test for categorical data, Pearson for numeric variables, and multiple regression for categorical data.RESULTS:Forty-one patients were assessed. Their mean age was 61.78 years. Venous ulcers (48.8%) were the most prevalent. Seventy-three percent of the sample perceived no impact/low impact on quality of life in the past week, and 26.8% perceived moderate/high impact. A multiple regression analysis identified the causes of lesion, pain related to the ulcers, time of onset, and severity of the depressive symptoms as the variables that had an influence on quality of life.CONCLUSIONS:The majority of the sample perceived low or no impact of the condition on the quality of the life. The variables etiology of the lesion (p<0.001), pain related to the ulcers (p=0.001), time of onset (p=0.006), and severity of the depressive symptoms (p<0.001) had an influence on the quality of life, suggesting the need for further studies with more robust designs to confirm the causal relationship between these characteristics and quality of life.

Separation of Scaptotrigona postica Workers into Defined Task Groups by the Chemical Profile on Their Epicuticle Wax Layer

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fine-tuning of a nanostructure, swelling, and drug delivery profile by blending ureasil-PEO and ureasil-PPO hybrids

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Exercise domain profile through pulmonary gas exchange response during kendo practice by men

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)